Commonly assigned, and therefore, uncitable, U.S. Provisional Patent Application titled “CLUTCH HOUSING WITH LEVER SPRING RETENTION SLOTS AND METHOD OF INSTALLING A LEVER SPRING,” inventors Todd Sturgin and Adam Uhler, filed on the same day as the present application, shows the use of slots to retain a lever spring in a mechanically actuated clutch assembly. The clutch housing could be improved if the slots in the housings for the springs could be made wider, enabling the use of a more robust punch. Commonly assigned, and therefore, uncitable, United States Patent Application No. 2005/0139442 filed Dec. 23, 2004 and published Jun. 30, 2005, which application is incorporated herein by reference as background information, shows the use of lever springs in a mechanically actuated clutch assembly. A clutch assembly could be improved if springs were preloaded.
Thus, there is a long-felt need for a housing with wider spring slots and improved spring preloading.